Week 7. The landlord calls
The landlord of Nino's family calls the house phone. I am alone, so I answer, and I hear for the first time the polite Georgian telephone hello.
Today: how to call people, on the street and on the phone.
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
Hear it, then say it: learn to speak Georgian
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Sam
ალო, გისმენთ.alo, gisment.Hello, I'm listening.
Landlord
გამარჯობა! ბატონი ლევანი სახლშია?gamarjoba! bat'oni levani sakhlshia?Hello! Is Mr Levan at home?
Sam
არა, ბატონო, ახლა არ არის. სამსახურშია.ara, bat'ono, akhla ar aris. samsakhurshia.No, sir, he isn't here now. He's at work.
Landlord
თქვენ ვინ ბრძანდებით?tkven vin brdzandebit?Who are you, please?
Sam
მე სემი ვარ, მათი სტუმარი, კანადიდან.me semi var, mati st'umari, k'anadidan.I'm Sam, their guest, from Canada.
Landlord
სასიამოვნოა, სემ! ბატონ ლევანს გადაეცით, რომ ლაშა რეკავს.sasiamovnoa, sem! bat'on levans gadaetsit, rom lasha rek'avs.Nice to meet you, Sam! Tell Mr Levan that Lasha is calling.
Sam
აუცილებლად. ნახვამდის, ბატონო ლაშა!autsileblad. nakhvamdis, bat'ono lasha!Certainly. Goodbye, Mr Lasha!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ალო | alo | hello (on the phone) |
| გისმენთ | gisment | I'm listening (polite phone answer) |
| ბატონო! | bat'ono! | sir!; Mr ...! |
| ქალბატონო! | kalbat'ono! | madam!; Mrs ...! |
| მეგობარო! | megobaro! | my friend! |
| ბიჭო! | bich'o! | boy! (to a boy or a young man) |
| რეკავს | rek'avs | he, she is calling (on the phone) |
| აუცილებლად | autsileblad | certainly, definitely |
| ბრძანდებით | brdzandebit | you are (very polite) |
How to read the pronunciation
The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.
4Grammar and explanations
Calling someone: the vocative -ოo
When you call or address someone, nouns take the ending -ოo:
| word | calling form |
|---|---|
| მეგობარიmegobari friend | მეგობარო!megobaro! |
| ბატონიbat'oni Mr, sir | ბატონო!bat'ono! |
| ქალბატონიkalbat'oni Mrs, madam | ქალბატონო!kalbat'ono! |
| შვილიshvili child | შვილო!shvilo! |
| ბიჭიbich'i boy | ბიჭო!bich'o! |
Words that end in -აa or -ოo usually stay as they are: დედაdeda!, ბებოbebo!, გოგოgogo!.
Names
Names keep their bare stem: names in -იi drop it (დავითიdaviti → დავითdavit!, ლევანიlevani → ლევანlevan!, სემიsemi → სემsem!), names in other vowels do not change (ნინოnino!, მანანაmanana!, ლუკაluk'a!).
With a title, the title takes -ოo and the name takes its bare stem: ბატონო ლევანbat'ono levan!, ქალბატონო თამარkalbat'ono tamar!, ბატონო ლაშაbat'ono lasha!.
Talking ABOUT someone: no -ოo
-ოo is only for calling. When you talk about someone, use the normal forms: ბატონი ლევანი სახლშიაbat'oni levani sakhlshia? "Is Mr Levan at home?". Notice also ბატონ ლევანსbat'on levans, "to Mr Levan": the title loses its -იi before a name in the -სs form, like an adjective.
On the phone
ალოalo is the usual "hello?" on the phone; გისმენთgisment ("I'm listening to you") is a polite way to answer. To ask who is calling, very politely: ვინ ბრძანდებითvin brdzandebit?
5Good to know
A group can be called too: მეგობრებოmegobrebo! "friends!", ბავშვებოbavshvebo! "children!", ქალბატონებო და ბატონებოkalbat'onebo da bat'onebo! "ladies and gentlemen!". You heard გოგოებოgogoebo! at the bazaar in lesson 23.
ბიჭოbich'o! is very common between young men, a bit like "mate!" or "dude!". Use it only with people you know well.
6Exercises
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
- How do you call your friend?
- How do you call Mr Davit?
- How do you call Nino?
- A polite way to answer the phone is…
- "Is Mrs Tamar at home?" is…
- How do you call a group of children?
- What does აუცილებლადautsileblad mean?
- ვინ ბრძანდებითvin brdzandebit? is…
- How do you call Grandma?
- What is ალოalo?
Well done! Lesson 55 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Answer the phone politely.
Show the answer
ალო, გისმენთ.alo, gisment. - Call your teacher Tamar politely.
Show the answer
ქალბატონო თამარ!kalbat'ono tamar! - Call your friend: "My friend, come here!"
Show the answer
მეგობარო, მოდი აქ!megobaro, modi ak! - Say "Ladies and gentlemen!"
Show the answer
ქალბატონებო და ბატონებო!kalbat'onebo da bat'onebo! - Ask on the phone "Is Mr Levan at home?"
Show the answer
ბატონი ლევანი სახლშია?bat'oni levani sakhlshia?
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
Speak Georgian with the 37 LIMBA audio lessons
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
Unit 6: Cases and connections A2
- 51Nino's book: the genitive -ისis
- 52For, from, about: -თვისtvis, -განgan, შესახებshesakheb
- 53Before, after, during
- 54As a doctor, as a gift: the adverbial -ადad
- 55Calling people: ბატონოbat'ono, ქალბატონოkalbat'ono, მეგობაროmegobaro!
- 56Adjectives that change: დიდ ოთახშიdid otakhshi
- 57First, second, third
- 58Bigger, better, the best
- 59How often? Habits
- 60Review: a letter home